Puzzle.



UNITED STATES Patented January 3, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

PUZZLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 779,121, dated January 3, 1905.

Application filed May 16, 1904. Serial No. 208,206.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. FORD, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Puzzles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to a puzzle consisting of a plurality of polygonal-shaped blocks that are designed to be placed together in pairs, each block being provided with a pair of notches to receive a pair of blocks adjacent thereto and having intermediate of its notches a tapering four-sided portion that fits between an adjacent pair of blocks.

Figure I is a perspective view of my puzzle. Fig. II is a view looking at one side of the puzzle. Fig. III is a cross-section taken on line III III, Fig. II. Figs. IV and V are views of two sides of one of the blocks of the puzzle. Fig. VI is a view illustrating the puzzle with the blocks in the positions assumed in introducing the final block.

1 designates a series of polygonal-shaped blocks, each pf which is provided with a pair of notches 2, extending inwardly from one of the longitudinal angle corners of the block toward the blocks axis. The part of each block intermediate of said notches is in the form of a four-sided tapering portion 3. In assembling the blocks 1 in solving the puzzle of interlocking them together the blocks are taken one at a time, each block being .set centrally of its length into a notch 2 of an adjacent block, so that one of the outer faces of the four-sided portion 3 will rest against the inside face of the portion 3 of the adjoining block, and the notches of the applied block will remain open to receive a pair of subsequently-positioned blocks, which when put in place will have their four sided portions disposed in the notches of the second block in the same manner as that stated in connection with the firstassociated blocks and will be parallel with each other. The second notch of the first block also remains unoccupied after the second block is put in place and it later receives one of the series of blocks of the puzzle extending parallel with the second assembled block. When the blocks have been assembled in the manner stated, it only remains necessary to interlock the assembled blocks together by the introduction of the final block. This final block is introduced into the two unoccupied notches of a facing pair of the blocks by spreading said facing pair of blocks apart without permitting the disassociation of the remaining blocks, which is accomplished by tilting the final block so that it will ride first into one of the unoccupied notches and gradually working it downward between the blocks containing said unoccupied notches until the final block may be tilted in the reverse direction to seat in the notches that receive it and when it so seats all of the blocks are found to be firmly interlocked with each other.

I claim as my invention- A puzzle consisting of a plurality of blocks all of which are identical in form and shape, each of said blocks being provided with pairs of notches and a four-sided tapering portion between said notches; said blocks being adapted to be placed together in pairs to occupy notches in adjacent blocks and have their foursided tapering portions arranged in mating facing positions, substantially as set forth.

GEORGE R. FORD.

In presence of- NELLIE V. ALEXANDER, E. S. KNIGHT. 

